Charlie Ergen, chairman and chief executive of EchoStar Communications Corp., addressed the abrupt departure of president Michael Neuman and the possible effects that the AT&T-BellSouth merger might have on the Douglas County satellite-TV provider during a conference call with analysts Wednesday.

“It wasn’t the right fit for Mr. Neuman or for EchoStar,” Ergen said of Neuman’s tenure. “We still have one of the strongest management teams we’ve ever had.”

Neuman resigned last month after eight months as president and chief operating officer.

The company also said it would continue to explore a high-speed Internet option. Satellite providers such as Echo Star’s Dish Network lack the land-based infrastructure to offer data and phone service, and are at a disadvantage to provide a suite of services to customers, compared to cable and telephone companies.

“That might be good to do as an industry and do it in a standardized way, because the build-out costs would be excessive,” Ergen said. “We don’t have a time frame for that. If something developed where we could do something with (competitor) DirecTV, we certainly are keen on that idea if it makes sense.”

El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV is the nation’s No.1 satellite provider, with 15 million customers. EchoStar has 12 million customers.

PrAna has always had it out for plastics. The yoga brand in 2010 began shipping more of its clothes wrapped in paper and string, rather than the customary plastic sleeves. But when Boulder passed its Universal Zero Waste Ordinance, requiring businesses to recycle and compost, employees of the Pearl Street store saw opportunity to do more.